Categories
Skateboarding News

Gordon Gekko used to skate..?

Those skateboard Golden Boys of Wall Street Skateshop in Lyon, France, are dropping their second video- Turn for Wall St.

It premieres on the 9th December at a Church in Lyon (check. Flyer) with a first showing + raffle for the kids at 6.00pm, and a second showing + bonus section and free booze for the older crowd at 8.30pm.

Just so you know, Wall Street is probably the best skateshop in Lyon (and France for that matter…) with guys like Steve Forstner, JB Gillet, Jeremie Daclin and Ali Boulala on the team. This video is going to be good, trust me!

And if you have no way or intention to try and get to these premieres because you’d rather save yourselves for the Crossfire Xmas bash (Good choice!), don’t worry because Crossfire will get a review up and a few copies to win ASAP.

Categories
Skateboarding News

The rumour mill is on over-drive, Sir…

Right. This is the last time we’re going to touch on the subject until an official press release gets put out there. Even if Krew Clothing denies and plans to make Krew Shoes, something is definitely getting made because Supra Skate Shoes have been spotted in the street. It looks like Erik Ellington left Emerica for a pair of these, and Tom Penny and Ali Boulala are looking to do the same.

What happened to company loyalty and contracts with Etnies guys..?

In any case, those shoes are for real, so be on the look out for more…

Categories
Skateboarding News

How do you get the board to stick to your feet?

Ah! The eternal question that hangs around every skaters neck like an albatross.

Well, let’s see: You pop the tail and jump in the air sliding you front foot forward along the grip and lifting your back foot. Stay level and then bring it all back down to Earth with a slight bend of the knees. Oh, and don’t forget to thank Mr. Alan Gelfand for creating such a move! However, if ever you should choose to mis-use or mis-treat the “Ollie”- you could face legal action because Mr. Gelfand has put a trademark on his signature move.

Will this spark a new trend for pros looking for a fast buck? What does it mean for such moves as the K-grind, Salad, Lien or McTwist..?

Categories
Skateboarding News

Oerend Hard Footage

Every year these guys go nuts in Holland in a park that i would personally love to skate, it looks like so much fun, even in the rain! This is a teaser for the new Oerend Hard DVD that will drop at some point. Enjoy!

Categories
Skateboarding News

Gnargore video news

Birmingham skate scene peeps at Gnargore have a new video ready to drop in January 1st called ‘Lost A Pound‘.

The website is a group of lads from the midlands who have been described on another site as ‘the best/worst skateboarding with lots of messing about but don’t expect no Jackass bullshit here. The video will be available for £5 via paypal off www.gnargore.tk soon and just £5 from Spine Skateshop in Worcester, Ideal Skateshop in Birmingham or Ramparts Skatepark in Stourbridge.

Be warned, the video features stunts on skateboards such as:- powerslides, slash grinds, early grabs and A KICKFLIP ON FLAT!!!

It should be mental….keep your eyes out for this one.

Categories
Skateboarding News

Stockwell Skatepark Update

News just in…

The skatepark will reopen at 4:30pm today. (Friday 18th November)

The contractors have done a lot of sanding of the rough surface and redone some areas of the park following the users comments, so while it certainly not perfect, it is a lot smoother than it was and some of the worst bumps and lumps have gone.

Next steps:

The council are keeping back a sum (maybe 10-20% of the £80k) and agreed with the contactor and the engineer that they will return in 6 months to repair the cracks which they expect to appear as the surface settles with the cold and then warmer weather. Over the 6 months the users will make a note of the sections of the park which need to be cut out and replaced and inform the council and Koan -we know of two places but there may be a few more. I said that I volunteered to collate feedback.

10 large abrasion blocks will be left with Brixton Cycles for the users to do some more DIY smoothing on any key sections landings etc if we think it necessary. A couple of metal signs will be put on the wall in the next few weeks once they have been received and reviewed by the council.

Official Opening – I told the council that there is an annual jam in the summer when the weather is more reliable so it might make sense to wait until next year, at least then the final repairs will have also been completed. I think the council want to donate some prizes too.

Check www.stockwellskatepark.com for all info…

News from Dave Carling

Categories
DVD Reviews

Chill Mag- Filming Crazy!

www.chillskatemag.com

The stakes are high in the media nowadays, and the strongest currency is video footage! Click onto any website, or browse the shelves for a new magazine and you can be sure to find some video attached or a bit of footy to get you stoked. Long gone are the days of a simple free sticker or poster…

French newbies (currently on issue 8) Chill Mag have just upped the ante with a little DVD called Filming Crazy. The guys at Chill base their product on aesthetics and top-knotch skateboarding. No tired angles or foot drags here please! The DVD itself is a small masterpiece with the artistic talent of Leonard Vernhet, Nicolas Malinowsky and Uber-filmer Fred Mortagne guidind you through small skits and animation.

The skateboarding gets taken care of by only the Cream of French skateboarding- Read: Lucas Puig, Paul Allard, Luy-Pa Sin, Flo Marfaing…- plus a few Americans and other Euro pals in there for good measure. There are also a handful of extra bonus edits to flick through, but that’s mandatory with DVDs, isn’t it..?

Something which I thought was a nice touch to top Filming Crazy! Off was the inclusion of their ‘Sponsor-me!’ comp. I suggest you check out the mix of those that didn’t win- which is already pretty shocking considering the last two contenders- but then watch the winner: Alexis Lamendin. Bloody hell! Needless to say, the competion was tight, but Alexis definitely deserves his new sponsor.

So, that just about wraps it up for this little DVD. The whole thing runs at a perfectly motivating 20 mins (Plus a good 15mins of extras) with a good soundtrack to boot. I have no idea how many of you will get a hold of Filming Crazy! But if this is the new standard, I can imagine editors are sweating bullets…

Ralph Lloyd-Davis
11/18/2005

Categories
Skateboarding News

Ronny Calow crocked

Ronnie Calow is the latest UK rider to join the injury list. Apparently whilst sliding down a wet ramp on the flat of his shoes, Ronnie hit a dry patch as he sliding and ended up breaking his fibia, tibia and ankle which really sucks.

Get well soon mate we are all thinking of you….but not in that way!

Categories
Features

Death Skateboards – Escape From Boredom Premiere

The Trinity – Harrow
16th November 2005

The only reason I hate Harrow is that I always get lost there. Every time I go to visit the Death lot, I’m always phoning a few times to Aneka Rice me in, next time though I will rent a stretched hearse and do it in style, theme it, it would be worth the money as I’m sure we could get use out of it after the event, even if it was hotwired and smashed into a parked police car or something, as that is the usual outcome of these Trinity visits.

They are usually funny as fuck and this one was no exeption.

This will never be like the corperate, over expensive premieres like the usual boring ones at the Prince Charles Cinema with a few bits of popcorn flying around and some tame abuse. No, that will never happen. Put it this way, the movie started after a full punk rock assault from Brandon’s band and a good few lagers, the sheet was attacked with bottles from the off and by midway, once Zorlac’s part kicked in with Nazi Punks Fuck Off by the Dead Kennedy’s (that screamed through the JBL’s) the place erupted into chaos and a mosh pit spawned the dancefloor and met the bar within seconds knocking people everywhere! Ben Cundall has a full part which rocks, new flow rider India Matt aka Steak has a rocking section, Cates gets tech everywhere and kills it, Zorlac has 1 minute 45 secs of gnarly shit, Munson and Potter star as Oregon concrete slaves and rip the arse out of it, Wag, Horsey, Snoopy and Nicolson have bangers and some fuck off slams in this film, the Aussies put themselves on the map with bowl madness, Richie Jackson hammertime and plenty more. It was quite hard to actually watch the film but who cares anyway when it will be in the shops in a few weeks and probably for a fiver or something so you can see it then.

All I remember is that Cates head gets blown clean off, there’s some shit hot skating all the way through and raw as a badgers ass which is the best way to be, the music is punk as fuck featuring all sorts of classics, some 80’s pop and special appearances by Billy Idol and a few other borrowed clips, plus Death mascot Dibble does not star in it….Yep, sorry Dibble fans but Death Skateboards and The Death Squad are 2 completely different entities, so sorry to disappoint, but I hear he does have a star role in the new Motel 6 DVD that if all goes to plan should be an extra DVD with this release before xmas, so you will definitely be wanting a copy.

The one thing i have to say though is that Death is one of the few companies out there that do their own thing and attract thousands of people’s interests. Over the last year or so they are not being slagged off by the sports wearing skateboarder types, purely due to the fact that they make an effort to have fun. Finally this company is being respected for just doing their own thing and this video stamps it authority on those words but without having to say a thing. The closest statement you will get is from Zorlac’s part in the film where flashed text appears and leaves a message clarifying the commitment to the cause but also so you know that they don’t give a monkeys about the haters…but it seems those days are long gone. Give Death a chance before it takes a chance on you..

Enjoy these gay photo’s visit www.deathskateboards.com for more info and for other recent Death related news, click here.

Categories
Features

A Third Foot: Spotlight

with owners Joel and Ken
By Ralph Lloyd-Davis 11/14/2005

One of the first skateboard videos I ever saw was Powell Peralta’s “Public Domain“, and during the intro the viewer is taken on a guided tour throught P&P’s manufacturing plant. The scene is dusty and noisy as hordes of little underpaid immigrants sand away at the next hottest shape. I was too young to know for sure that I would one day work within the skate industry, but I knew for certain that I didn’t want to be one of those poor sods!

Skateboards today are manufactured by only a handful of factories- most of which are bickering over scraps since the fantastic Chinese Manufacturing Coup- so it’s surprising to hear about an outfit in Britain that does it too. A Third Foot was the brainchild of Ken and Joel who have worked long, hard hours since 1997 to bring top-notch product onto the market. Understand that ATF is a hands down unit that prefers quality over quantity when they follow a skateboard process from 7 raw plies to a finished product. The team consists of Kris Vile, Ben Blake, Tom Brown, James Woodley, Rich Lewis, Norm, Bob Sanderson and Damon Levanthal.

Please state your name, age and what you do for a living?

Joel, 34, & Ken, 33. We make skateboards

When did you start A Third Foot?

1997.

Why?

We were always interested in deck production as skaters, and we wanted to have a go for ourselves.

Did you have any previous knowledge of skateboard manufacturing before you began?

Some – bits from magazines here and there.

How difficult was A Third Foot to start up?

It wasn’t too difficult. We had to go to the Prince’s Trust, submit a business plan and get awarded some funding. Then we had to get some fairly crude early presses made, buy some tools, find a premises etc and get started.

How has competition reacted to your manufacturing techniques?

Our techniques don’t differ much from anyone else’s, so we don’t warrant a reaction.

Do you know of other European companies that make their own boards?

As far as I know, there are, or were, factories in Spain, Italy, Germany & Switzerland, I think.

How has the China situation affected A Third Foot?

I suppose it has to some extent. We may have a few more bulk Customers, but at our size it’s hard to gauge. We weren’t really competing directly with US factories anyway.

Who/what inspires you in your production of boards?

Just to make the best decks we can.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to manufacture their own boards?

Go to China, or somewhere with even cheaper labour.

Will skateboards always be made of wood?

For the near future-Yes. Some experimentation will go on, and someone might find something that works. Who knows?

If you weren’t manufacturing skateboards, what would you be doing?

Making more money.

What are the good sides to running your own company?

No fat fuck to tell you what to do, doing art, talking shop, new projects, buying new toys-tools, and having days off.

What are the bad sides?

It’s damn hard work! The fumes, the splinters, dry skin and of course the team getting hurt.

Your team contains some hidden talent (Tom Brown, James Woodley…)- How do you spot it? Are there any requirements to make the team?

The team’s organic: people come and go but it always maintains a high standard. The team picks itself…

Do you feel a certain affinity with those poor Mexican sods sanding down endless piles of wood in the ‘Public Domain’ intro?

Sure do! It could be worse…

Were there any other names floating around before ‘A Third Foot’?

No, the name fitted like a sock.

If the skateboard manufacturing industry ran a Miss World comp, what would be your pitch?

Just look at my hot curves, my make up is perfect, and my holes have had a good hard drilling!

Go to www.athirdfoot.co.uk for more info…